Follow Us

History of Dhyanalinga

The sacred land of India has been witness to the lives of countless Sidhas, seers and Enlightened beings. The Dhyanalinga Temple is very much a part of this glorious tradition.

Born Jagadish Vasudev in Mysore, India, in 1957, Sadhguru was a precocious child raised in a traditional home. From an early age he possessed a unique passion and purpose that has defined his life. Preferring the wonder of nature to typical childhood games, ten year old Jaggi would venture out alone on long treks through the surrounding mountains and forests for days at a time. Despite excelling in his studies it was always the profound beauty of life expressed through nature that commanded his attention.

Sadhguru first began studying yoga at the age of thirteen, his first teacher was Shri Raghavendra Rao popularly known as Malladihalli Swami. At that time his yoga practices were a means of attaining peak physical and mental health. “I never thought of yoga as a spiritual possibility, nor did the word ‘spiritual’ mean anything to me,” says Sadhguru. “I had no background like this.”

By the age of Twenty, Jaggi Vasudev had completed his college education and built his own successful business in partnership with a close friend. He continued to be a very active and adventurous outdoorsman – hang gliding, racing motorcycles and organizing hiking expeditions into the mountains. One day, as he sat to rest on a rock following a long hike in the Chamundi Hills, he had a spontaneous experience of unbounded awareness which resulted in a dramatic and permanent perceptual shift that altered the course of his life.

Following his enlightenment three lifetimes of memory descended upon him and he recalled his life’s purpose and his Guru’s dream – the Dhyanalinga. From that moment his only longing was to fulfill his Guru’s will; his every action was directed towards the consecration of the Dhyanalinga.

Dhyanalinga has always been the dream of many enlightened beings, but the complexities involved in its creation are such that it rarely materialized. No other Dhyanalinga is known to exist in the world. The closest attempt to consecrate a Linga like this took place almost one thousand years ago in Bhopal. The process, though grand, failed in the final stages. Though it has always existed in the yogic lore there is no reference to a Dhyanalinga in the scriptures.

The consecration of the Dhyanalinga posed a serious challenge to Sadhguru, his approach was based solely upon his intuitive understanding and mastery over the spiritual process. Apart from the consecration of the Dhyanalinga, the construction of its temple or as Sadhguru called it – a suitable ornament for the Dhyanalinga, involved several intricacies. The design that was chosen was very novel and required reworking of concepts from the fundamentals. The size of the structure and the time schedules set, called for great dedication from the thousands of volunteers and the workers involved in the construction.

Thus, against all odds, on the 24th of June 1999, the Dhyanalinga was consecrated, blessing the world by its Presence. And on the 23rd of November 1999, Dhyanalinga was offered to the world.